


Be careful what you wish for

by fleurjaune



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Needs Help, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Identity Reveal, Angst, Bad Parenting, Be Careful What You Wish For, Character Death, Evil Emilie Agreste, F/M, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth Identity Reveal, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth Wins, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Minor Emilie Agreste/Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Permanent Character Death, Temporary Character Death, Trauma, Wishes, made up bad worldbuilding, so much temporary character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:54:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27787849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleurjaune/pseuds/fleurjaune
Summary: Gabriel should have read the grimoire before making the Wish.-----Or the Agrestes + Marinette have some disagreements on who exactly is going to end this day dead.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Emilie Agreste & Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nathalie Sancoeur, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/Nathalie Sancoeur
Comments: 26
Kudos: 117





	Be careful what you wish for

“I’m sorry,” Hawkmoth said as he surprisingly gently pulled her earrings out one at a time, “This really isn’t anything personal. You can have them back after. In fact you _should_ have them back after.”

Marinette tried to work against the ropes holding her in place but without Ladybug’s strength she had no chance of breaking the bonds the akuma had trapped her in.

“Aren’t you afraid that I’ll turn back whatever you’d done?”

Hawkmoth’s gaze strayed to the oddly familiar looking woman lying in the coffin at the end of the cavernous room, “You’ve never struck me as the sort of person who would condemn someone to death.”

“Who is she to you?” Marinette asked, almost finding herself sympathetic to Hawkmoth. She couldn’t condone his actions but she could understand being driven to extremes for love.

“My wife.”

“Is she dead?”

“No,” He snapped, and then more quietly, “Not after today.”

“I know it must be hard,” she tried, “I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose someone you love permanently,” images of Chat Noir dying in front of her flashed through her memories but he’d _always_ come back; she’d always brought him back. “But you can’t do it. There’s a _price._ You’d be hurting someone else.”

“I don’t care.” 

“I’ve got him.” Mayura announced yanking an equally tied up Chat Noir through the portal her sentimonster had created.

Marinette wished they could go back to the days when Mayura had just copied Hawkmoth’s akumas instead of thinking up complementary powersets.

“Marinette?” Chat Noir choked out, and his struggling intensified.

She hadn’t even thought about the fact Chat Noir would discover her identity. It was all pointless now that Hawkmoth knew who she was anyway, but she hadn’t been ready for him to know yet. Things were going to be _so_ awkward given her interactions with him as Marinette.

Then suddenly, _inexplicably_ , Chat Noir stopped struggling against Mayura.

He was, Marinette realised, looking at the women in the casket.

“Mom?” He whispered sounding more like a child than the teenager he appeared to be.

Then his eyes narrowed and fixed on Hawkmoth, “She was never missing was she? You had the whole time. _Why?_ What are you doing to her?”

Hawkmoth ignored him.

Mayura placed him down next to Marinette, against the railings on the catwalk, “Sir, did you want to do the honours?”

“You can take the ring,” Hawkmoth dropped his transformation to reveal Gabriel Agreste, “I’ll put the earrings on.”

The sight of watching Adrien’s father put Ladybug’s earrings on in this cavernous room was incongruous. She’d never even suspected he’d had pierced ears.

She had suspected something else though. “It _was_ you all the time. I was _right._ ”

Despite how terrible this would be for Adrien she couldn’t help but feel vindicated.

“I shouldn’t have doubted you.” Chat Noir said sounded guilty as if it was his fault they’d been convinced otherwise, “I should have known.”

They Mayura pulled off his ring and in a flash of green light his own transformation dropped leaving Adrien Agreste sat next to her, and she should have known that it was him the moment he recognised his mother, or at least when his father’s transformation dropped seconds after that recognition, because that was _Emilie Agreste_ in that coffin, and that was _Adrien’s mother_.

If someone had told her Adrien was Chat Noir a few days ago, a few _hours,_ ago Marinette didn’t know what she would have felt. Total shock. Ecstatic happiness. Horrific embarrassment. Hope. Right now all those feelings, _all_ her feelings for Adrien, were subsumed under her horror for the situation he found herself in.

Apparently Mayura was equally shocked because she fell back from where she’d crouched down to take it, “Adrien?”

“I guess I wasn’t the only one that didn't realise that I was sharing a house with another Miraculous wielder Nathalie.” Adrien said.

“I’m so sorry,” Marinette said unable to hold in her sympathy.

“Why should _you_ be sorry? It’s not your fault.”

“I’m sorry too,” Mayura said, “Duusu fall my feathers,” and Adrien’s father’s assistant appeared in her place, “I really had no idea. I never wanted to fight you.”

“What about you Father?” He called past her, to where Gabriel Agreste was standing frozen having not moved since his son was revealed as Chat Noir. “Would you have?”

Adrien’s voice seemed to startle him out of it, “If I’d known I’d have hoped I wouldn’t need to.”

“What?” Adrien asked.

“You’d have helped wouldn’t you?”

“ _What?_ ”

Mr Agreste frowned, “Do you not care about your mother?”

“Of course I care! What did you do to her? Why is she here? Why are you doing this?”

“To save her. It was all to save her, and _you’ve_ been stopping me,”

“No,” Adrien shock his head, “I don’t understand, _why this?_ What happened to her? Why did you never tell me any of it?”

“It doesn’t matter now.” Mr Agreste said, “Nathalie give me the ring. I’m going to save her, and then we can be a family again.”

“Nathalie, don’t.” Adrien begged her, “Please give it back to me. You don’t understand what you’re doing. You don’t understand the cost.”

“I’m sorry,” Nathalie said, “But I can’t stop now, not when we’re so close. But it’ll all be okay Adrien. You’re going to have your family back, it’s all going to be fixed.”

She stood up. “I am sorry. I’m lucky to have known you.”

They’re both mad, Marinette thought. There’s no bargaining to be had with either of them.

She passed the ring to his father, who put on it, and immediately sucked in a breath.

“Are you alright?” Her hand went to his arm in concern, and Marinette wanted to scream that the one she should be comforting was _Adrien._

“I’ll manage.”

“It’s going to get worse old man,” Plagg said.

“You can still stop,” Tikki tried.

He ignored them. “Combine,” He hissed.

It didn’t look like any combination of the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous’ she might have imagined. It _did_ look like the image in the grimoire. Light swirled around him, and somehow seemed to come from inside him, but his body seemed swathed in darkness.

“I wish,” the forces around him intensified then he stopped, “Nathalie, I don’t know if I can do this.”

“You can do this,” the woman said and reached through the swirls of power surrounding him as if she didn’t care about the damage it might do to her, “You’re so close. You can get her back. _I_ want you to get her back. Don’t worry about the cost. I don’t mind. It’ll be worth it. You’ll be happy.”

“She’s in love with him,” Marinette realised, and then wished she hadn’t said it out loud.

“Yeah,” Adrien said sounding very tired, “I had suspicions about that much, but I feel that does the opposite of explaining this.”

Nathalie took a step back as Adrien’s father rose slightly off the floor.

“I wish my wife was alive,” he said.

Emilie Agreste’s eyes opened.

Adrien’s head slumped down.

Marinette stared at her partner in horror, “Adrien.” She hissed, “Adrien respond to me please.”

She managed to nudge his leg with her own but he didn’t react at all.

She looked at his father detransformed and smiling as he helped his wife stand up and if she’d thought she'd hated him before it was _nothing_ to how she felt towards him now.

His assistant had taken a few steps back from him when his wife had revived and seemed to be staring at her hands. Perhaps _she_ had some idea of the magnitude of what they'd done but she clearly didn't care enough about Adrien not to sacrifice him. 

Nathalie turned away from Adrien’s parents, not that they deserved that title, and as she caught sight of them her eyes widened, and she ran towards them.

“Adrien,” she said as she knelt down by him, and she dared to sound panicked, “Adrien wake up. It’s done now.”

She was frantically untying him as if that would make a difference and suddenly Marinette wondered if she somehow hadn't known the price, but that didn’t make any sense. She’d _told_ Mr Agreste to do it despite the price. To push though it.

“You've killed him.” She spat out. “He's not going to wake up.”

“No, no we can’t have. Gabriel _wouldn’t._ ”

“He did.”

“No.” Nathalie frantically shook her head, “It was never meant to be Adrien.”

That wiped out any sympathy Marinette might have had for her, “So you were ok with killing someone else? It’s just a problem when it’s someone you know?”

“It was supposed to be _me._ I was willing. It was supposed to be _me.”_

“Oh,” that did fit and she didn't know how to react to that but her hatred suddenly felt confused and, “Did his father know that?”

“He must have. I’d made it clear enough.”

“Did you say it?” She pushed, because she was going to scream if Adrien had died for a _misunderstanding._

“I,”

“Wouldn’t have made a difference lady,” Plagg floated over, “You don’t get to pick the price. Nor do we, or trust me I’d have sacrificed you and saved him in a heartbeat.”

“Can’t I save him?” Nathalie beseeched him.

Tikki looked pitying, “I’m sorry. The universe takes the most equal price.”

Nathalie exhaled shakily. “Of course. It had to be someone he loved as much as Emilie. I should have seen that.”

Marinette hadn’t seen any signs Adrien’s father loved him the way he did his wife at all.

“Would you have exposed him if you’re known?” She asked the woman in front of her as if it made any difference now.

Nathalie flinched.

Duusu, poked his head out over Nathalie’s head, “She does love _both_ of them.”

“She got my wielder _killed,_ ” Plagg spat, “So I don’t care. And it’s not like she did much for Adrien when she was alive was it?”

Nathalie finally undid the final knot holding Adrien’s body in place, and cradled him in her arms, “I never wanted this to happen. I’d have taken Gabriel’s Miraculous myself, and combined it with mine and fought you without him if I’d known.”

“That would have killed you.” Tikki said.

“Do you think I care about that?” Nathalie snapped, “I never wanted this.”

“Adrien?” An unfamiliar female voice called, and Marinette looked away from Nathalie and Adrien to see Adrien’s mother staring at them.

She took a step out of her husband’s arms and Marinette _finally_ saw some concern on the face of one of Adrien’s parents.

“Gabriel,” Mrs Agreste took a step towards them, “What did you _do_?”

“What?” He said in answer, and then he turned to look at them, and after a few seconds belatedly seemed to realise what he was seeing and went pale, “No.”

Adrien’s mother had ran to them in the meantime and snatched her son out of Nathalie’s arms.

“No, no, no, _no,_ my baby,” she cried incoherently, and Marinette wished she was free to stretch out a comforting arm to a woman who hadn’t deserved any of this whatever her husband and his assistant might have.

Her husband placed a hesitant hand on her shoulder, “We’ll fix it Emilie, we brought you back, we can bring Adrien back too.”

For a moment for all their human pupil Emilie Agreste’s eyes looked the image of Chat Noir’s just before he released a cataclysm, “here,” she spat, and pushed Adrien back into Nathalie’s arms.

Then she stood up and slapped her husband.

Honestly, at that point Marinette wanted to applaud her.

But then she shattered her image as an unknowing victim, “The entire world. You had the entire world to take a life to pay for mine and you took _our son’s._ ”

“I didn’t mean to,” he took a step back, as if he could somehow be afraid of the tiny women in front of him despite how he towered over her, “I didn’t know. _You_ know how little we knew of any of this, how could you even _think_ I’d do this deliberately?”

Personally she thought rather easily, but distracted she blurted out, “Wait, you _knew_ about this? This wasn’t all his idea?”

Adrien’s mother looked as if she hadn’t even realised Marinette was there, “Who’s this?”

“The Ladybug Miraculous wielder.”

“She’s a child.”

“They all were.”

“ _All_?”

“All the Miraculous wielders that have appeared. Don’t ask me why.”

“You’re been fighting _children?”_ There was disgust in her voice at that, and Marinette wondered if she’d misjudged her.

“Not by choice. But what other choice was there?”

“Not to fight your son.” Marinette pointed out.

“I didn’t know that I was did I?” Mr Agreste snapped.

“Adrien had a Miraculous?”

“He was my favourite out of all the wielders I’ve had.” Plagg said, “I guess I can say that without giving him a big head now.”

“ _You_ chose my Adrien?” Mrs Agreste smiled sadly, “I always knew he was destined for great things.”

“He will be again,” Adrien’s father said, “We’ll bring him back.”

“You can’t.” Tikki said, “We can only give you one wish.”

“That wasn’t in the Grimoire.”

“Not everything is.” Plagg said, “And I’ve no reason to lie to you about _that._ I’d bring him back if I could.”

“This is your problem Gabriel,” Mrs Agreste said, “You _never_ think things through, and now your lack of planning has killed our son.”

“ _My_ lack of planning? Which of us got herself in this situation in the first place? Which of us begged the other to bring her back?”

Mrs Agreste exhaled angrily, “Which of us apparently didn’t notice Adrien had the very Miraculous we needed? Which of us wasted, what months?,” she looked down at Adrien again, “years? Failing against _children_ apparently instead of just asking our son to help.”

Marinette couldn’t let that idea stand, “He couldn’t have helped. This,” She gestured to Adrien’s body, “is exactly why he couldn't have helped. Neither of us could let our Miraculous be used like this.”

“Are you saying _my son_ wouldn't want to help me?”

“I'm sure he’d want to. He just couldn’t.”

Mrs Agreste rolled her eyes, “That doesn’t matter now. All that matters is saving _him._ Whatever my husband might think.”

“What do you mean whatever I might think? You _know_ I want to save him.”

“Do I? It was your desires that killed _him.”_

“My desire to _save_ you.”

“You never wanted a child anyway, and you were always complaining about how you didn't know what to do with him.”

He flinched back, “That's unfair of you. That I wanted to wait a few years until things were more stable before you got pregnant has _nothing_ to do with what's happened today.”

“Was it your temper then?’

“What?”

“You know you have one. Were you so angry at Adrien fighting you that you took it out on him when you made the wish?”

“I didn’t give a single thought to Adrien when I made that wish,” he snapped, “There. That's the truth of it. Hate me if you want. But I never ever wanted this to be the result. Now can we get on to the matter of saving _our son_ rather than playing one of your little blame games.”

“The Kwami’s said you couldn’t.” Marinette had to point out. She wanted Adrien back but she wanted _Adrien_ not whatever magical mess his parents might pull up if now they couldn’t make a wish.

“No.” Nathalie said startling them all by reminding them of her presence. She was still clutching at Adrien’s body like she could keep him here with pure determination. “They said _Gabriel_ couldn’t make another Wish. Let _me_ make one.”

Marinette knew she should be arguing against this but it was _Adrien,_ and none of this should have happened, and Nathalie was both willing to die and guilty when Adrien was neither.

Nathalie carefully lay Adrien down on the ground and stood up. “Give me the Miraculous Gabriel.”

Adrien’s father was looking at her with undisguised hope in his eyes, and for the first time since he’d killed his son Marinette actually believed that he regretted it for more than just the anger it had provoked in his wife.

“Are you sure?” He said, walking over to her, “It’s not an easy thing to do.”

“I’m certain.”

He sighed and for a moment Marinette thought he was going to turn her down but then he exhaled, and started to pull out the earrings and give them to Nathalie.

Once she’d put them in her ears she held her hand out for the ring, but once he’d taken it off his own finger instead of giving it to her he took her hand in his and slowly slid it on her finger.

Nathalie looked up from her hand to look into his eyes and as they stared into each others Marinette felt like she was watching another scene entirely.

Apparently his wife agreed, “Hurry up. You’re not marrying her.”

He looked back at her in disbelief, “She’s giving us our son back, be grateful.”

“Right,” said Nathalie, “Plagg, Tikki,”

“Wait!” Tikki yelled out, “We can’t do it now. We have to recharge.”

Anger flashed through Nathalie’s eyes, but all she did was ask Marinette, “Do you have what your kwami needs?”

“I do but,” She started.

“Where?”

“My bag.”

She’d hoped she might be untied but instead Nathalie just pulled out her handbag from the bindings herself and dug out the cookies she had for Tikki.

“He usually kept cheese for me in his pocket.” Plagg said.

Tikki frowned at him.

“What? You know I want him back as soon as possible.”

Eventually the Kwami’s were ready and Nathalie began again.

“Wait,” Mr Agreste called, “Here,” He unpinned the Peacock Miraculous from her chest, “You shouldn’t have another one on.”

“I didn’t think,” Nathalie said, “Thank you.”

“No,” he said with his hand still hovering over her chest, “Thank _you_.”

Then Nathalie pushes his hand away, and transformed, and made her wish.

Adrien sat up.

His father collapsed.

Nathalie dropped her transformation immediately and dropped to her knees.

“Adrien?” Marinette couldn’t help the relief that coursed through her at seeing him alive. None of what happened should have happened but maybe they could keep it like this. Hawkmoth had easily got what he deserved, and from the expression on her face Mayura had too, and Adrien still had a parent, who she wasn’t sure wasn’t a villain but at least clearly cared for Adrien, and he was alive and, “Are you ok?”

“I think so,” he looked around confused, “What happened?”

His eyes caught on his father next to him, and then at Nathalie staring at his body.

“Is he?”

“It’s alright,” his mother said, and she pulled her son up to standing and into her arms. Marinette wasn’t sure if that was just out of relief or to stop him looking at his father’s body.

“Mom?” Adrien asked uncertainly.

“It’s ok,” she said, rubbing his back, “I’m here, we’ll sort this out.”

“Father brought you back?”

“He did.”

“And the cost was _his_ life?”

For a moment of the three of them were silent as their eyes met over Adrien’s head, then Adrien’s mother said, “That’s right.”

Adrien clung to his mother tighter and started to cry. 

“You should tell him the truth.” Marinette said. It was up to Adrien whether or not he grieved his father but he had the right to make that decision.

Adrien looked up. “What truth?”

He pulled away from his mother. “ _What truth?”_

He looked at Marinette, and then at Nathalie.

“Why is Nathalie wearing the Miraculous now? I saw Father put them on.”

“It wasn’t a direct exchange,” his mother said reaching back out to him.

“What?”

“When you father wished for me back it _had_ to be someone he loved as much as me.”

Marinette wasn’t sure he’d catch the implication because it was so horrific but he did, as his eyes widened and he said, “I _died?_ He _killed_ me?”

“Temporarily. And only because he loved you. And because we never ever wanted to that to happen he volunteered to take your place, and Nathalie helped us do that.”

“Nathalie? You went along with this?”

“I wanted it to be me.” She replied, and her voice sounded empty in a totally different way to her normal neutrality, “It _was_ meant to be me.”

 _“What_?” Adrien gasped. “Nathalie no.”

His mother ignored his outburst and addressed the other woman herself, “Were you stupid enough to think you could do that? You _heard_ what the kwami’s said.”

“You let me do it.”

“Was I supposed to let my son die? Pardon me if I hoped that maybe you loved someone other than my husband.”

She might have been Mayura, and have helped temporarily kill Adrien but Marinette did feel a bit sorry for her right now.

“It’s not like that.” Nathalie shook her head frantically, “It’s not _that_ sort of love. It traded him for Adrien.”

“And his love for Adrien was an equal trade for _me._ Not that it matters now. It’s not as if he loved you, or we wouldn’t have been in this situation in the first place. You could have died the way you wanted to for us then.” 

That felt uncalled for.

“I’m sorry.” Nathalie said.

“I’m not going to forgive you for killing my husband with your love.”

Marinette wasn’t sure how she expected Nathalie to respond but it wasn’t for her to come over to her and take the earrings out and put it back in her ears one by one. Her touch is bizarrely similar to how Adrien’s father’s had been earlier and it really shows that these people don’t hate her at all.

Not that they like her either. She’s just _there_ for them. All their love and hate is kept for each other in some big complicated mess.

“What are you _doing_?” Mrs Agreste asked in what sounded like clear disbelief.

“Giving them back. It’s what Gabriel wanted.”

“You’re calling him Gabriel now?”

“Does it matter anymore?”

“You don’t have the right to do that. Not when you’re giving up on him.”

“There’s another option?" She sounded exhausted, "You can’t wish for him back. That would just reverse what I did.”

In some ways Marinette is surprised. Nathalie clearly cares in some way for Adrien but she’s never seen any sign she’d prioritise him over his father.

Adrien’s mother’s response as she looks at her son in panic is less surprising. Her affection for Adrien isn’t in question even if the rest of her character is, “You’re right but I’m not giving up on him. Help me put him in the casket.”

Adrien finally speaks again, “What are you _doing_?”

“Making it possible to save your father.”

“Have the two of you learnt nothing from this? Who are you going to sacrifice the next time?”

“Preferably her this time,” Mrs Agreste tilts her head towards Nathalie.

“ _Mom?_ ”

“What?” She volunteered.”

Adrien was frozen still staring at his mother as he’s discovered that she’s no better than his father, while his mother and his father’s assistant were still trying to put his father in the casket.

Marinette took her chance, “Adrien,” she whispered.

He’d looked at her in blank surprise as if he’d forgotten she was here, but when she nodded down at the ropes holding her he seemed to realise what she was asking and some of Chat Noir’s old determination entered his eyes.

Every second it took him to untie them she worried one of the women would turn around but they both seemed absorbed in what they were doing.

“Did they hurt you?” He whispered. “While I was,”

“No,” she interrupted before he could say it and make it sound more real, “Once they took my Miraculous they never laid a finger on me.”

She stood up stretching her muscles, and picked up the Peacock Miraculous from where it lay in Mr Agreste’s hand, “Here.”

Adrien looked at her in confusion.

“Tikki, spots on.”

The flash of light caught the attention of the two women in the casket.

Mrs Agreste’s eyes went straight to the Miraculous Adrien was pinning to his chest, “Adrien no!”

“Are you going to give me back mine?”

She hesitated then she said, “Nathalie give the Cat back to him. I can’t let him get hurt.”

“You could just not fight us.” Adrien’s voice wobbled and it was clear he didn’t want to and Marinette was _so_ so proud of him for being able to stand up to his parents like this.

“I’m not worried about fighting you. That Miraculous is _broken._ It’ll hurt you, that’s how I got in this mess.”

Nathalie had already pulled the ring off her finger when she said, “It’s fixed actually.”

“What?” Mrs Agreste asked as Nathalie passed the ring to Adrien.

“He fixed it. That’s how I’ve been able to use it for months.”

“ _You_ used my Miraculous? He fixed it for _you_?”

“Your Miraculous?” Adrien burst out, at the same time Marinette realised, “ _That’s_ what he meant when you said you’d done this to yourself.”

“You don’t understand.” Mrs Agreste said, “I was going to make the world better, make it somewhere safe for Adrien.”

“But we never heard of any heroes in Paris.”

“I’d like to think I was a bit more subtle than running around in a silly costume.”

“Well some of us had to because of what your husband was doing for you.” Marinette pointed out.

“You didn’t.” Mrs Agreste said, “You could have let him have _yours_.”

“He never said what he wanted it for! And we couldn’t have anyway. I understand why he did it. I’m not sure I can even condemn him for that.” And all her idealised ideas of love now feel tainted if _this_ is what it leads to. She wants to say she’d never do what Adrien’s father has done, but she’s starting to feel sick at now she’d ignored some of her own morals because of Adrien, and how can she know she wouldn’t do the same except, “But it was still wrong. Having this power doesn’t give us the right to pick who lives and who dies. He should have focused on _Adrien._ Not on this.”

“Focused on Adrien?” Adrien’s mother said, “What do you mean? He needed me for Adrien.”

“Marinette,” Adrien tried.

“No,” She said to her partner, “She deserves to know how your father neglected you, and never let you do anything, and acted like making sure you had no free time was being a parent. Maybe then she’ll rethink all of this.”

She doesn’t really think that. Whatever Mrs Agreste’s emotions are about her husband if she still wants him back after he killed their son, then knowing how he’d treated him doesn’t seem likely to change anything.

“Ask her, if you don’t believe me.”

“Nathalie?” Adrien’s mother asked.

“You know how he was. And he was even busier with Hawkmoth as well as work. And we did try and keep to your rules and plans for Adrien. Probably we should have reviewed his extra-curriculars after we sent him to school but we thought it was good for him to be busy. That it would keep his mind off you, and give him no time to discover Hawkmoth.”

With identical expressions of disbelief Adrien and his mother went, “You thought be busy would _help_ me?” and “You sent him to _school_?”

Nathalie answered both of them together, “He needed to get out of the house, and socialise with other people. Gabriel and I couldn’t give him what he needed.”

“Which is exactly why you needed me back. I suppose I can understand that but I’m going to have to review everything you’ve allowed.”

“Wait?” Marinette asked, “Adrien’s schedule and all those rules, they weren’t something his father did when you died?”

“Did you think that?” Adrien said, “Why did you think I felt so guilty about breaking them?”

“Because I thought you didn’t want to upset your father.”

“I didn’t. But I also didn’t want to act like I was taking advantage of my mother being lost. Not when he’d taken it that badly.” He swallowed, “Although I had no idea he’d taken it _this_ badly.”

He looked around the attic.

“He was doing his best.” Mrs Agreste said, “He knew you needed me. I knew he’d have no idea how to look after you without me.”

That was a _very_ different take on things to what she’d said to Adrien’s father earlier but Marinette guessed the different circumstances would make a pretty big difference to how she felt.

“He should have told me what happened.” Adrien said.

“We wanted to protect you.” His mother looked at the ring on her son’s finger. “That might have been a mistake.”

“You think?”

“So,” Mrs Agreste mused, “The Peacock Miraculous was fixed. How?”

“The Grimoire.” Nathalie answered.

“You translated it?”

“We acquired,”

“Stole” Marinette corrected.

She shrugged, “Stole a translated copy.”

“What else was in there?”

“What do you mean?”

“I can create life with that Miraculous. If we can call his soul back somehow I could make a true version of Gabriel, not just a copy.”

Even by the standards of a woman who’d been kept in a glass coffin by her husband all this time that was disturbing.

Adrien seemed to agree, “I’m not letting you make a Sentimonster-Zombie of Father.”

“That’s unfilial. He died so you could live.”

“No. I’m pretty sure he did that for you.”

“Don’t you want him back?”

Marinette forgot how to breathe while she waited for his answer.

“I want to be able to say goodbye to him, I want to be able to ask what on earth he was doing, I want to fix our relationship, but I _know_ that can’t happen now and I don’t understand why I’m the only on in this family that does.”

“Very well,” Mrs Agreste revealed the Butterfly Miraculous in her hand and pinned it to her chest in one stroke. “Dark Wings Rise.”

Marinette wanted to kick herself. How could she have forgotten that the brooch must have still been somewhere on Mr Agreste’s body. The body Mrs Agreste had been moving in front of her.

“Mom no,” Adrien sat but it was too late.

Unlike her husband’s mask Mrs Agreste’s left her hair, which had lightened to a platinum, to flow free in its usual style, only covering part of her face in a mask the same shape as the glowing outline on Hawkmoth’s victims.

Marinette had somewhat expected a dress this time, perhaps because of Mayura, but she still wore a suit, albeit one cut in a feminine shape, and with a somewhat mid-Belle Époque puff to the sleeves.

“Mrs Agreste, stop this,” She tells Adrien’s mother and then despite the fact that she doesn’t know if she can ask Adrien to fight his mother after so long fighting his father she points out, “There’s two of us and only one of you.”

“Is there?” Her opponent asked, “Remember what the powers of the Butterfly Miraculous are?” She pointed at Nathalie with her staff. ”Do you think _she_ doesn’t have enough emotional turmoil for an akuma?”

Adrien transformed himself, and Marinette was _still_ not over that, that _he_ was Chat Noir, but she had no time to think about that because despite his transformation he was begging his mother.

“Getting our Miraculous back won’t help you! Nathalie’s made her wish. That only leaves us, and neither of us can wish for him back without losing the other.”

“He’s right.” Nathalie said.

“What?” Mrs Agreste looked at her in shock, “How can _you_ say that? Don’t try and deny your feelings for him. I can feel them now. You’re drowning in guilt for what you’ve done. You want him back as much as I do,” her voice faltered slightly, “more so even.”

“I do. And I’d do anything for him if it would bring him back. But Adrien’s right. If he makes the wish it would take _you_ and that’s the last thing Gabriel would ever want. He’d” She gulped back a sob, and Marinette realised she’d been on the verge of crying since her Wish, “want things as they are if that’s the only way for both of you to alive.”

Mrs Agreste sighed. “And if I made the wish it might take Adrien. Or if not Adrien then someone else I love.” Then her gaze sharpened on Marinette, “She could do it.”

 _“Me?”_ Marinette can’t stop her shock.

“Yes you. You love Adrien.” 

“She what?” Adrien asked, and this was _really_ not how she’d hoped he’d find out.

“You’re my friend and my partner and a wonderful person and this really isn’t the time to talk about this,” she said in a rush, and couldn’t stop herself from blushing.

“It’s not.” Adrien’s mother agrees, “But she does. And she doesn’t know me well enough to know how she feels about me,”

Distrustful mostly. And conflicted for Adrien’s sake.

“But she hates the two people she’s been fighting. Nathalie would be an equal swap for your father for _her._ ”

Emilie Agreste might have the Butterfly Miraculous but Marinette isn’t sure what she’s just said _is_ true. Out of the two villains she’d been fighting at least it was only her _own_ death Nathalie had aimed for, and while she knows that Adrien cares for her and she failed him she didn’t owe him what his father did.

“I can’t.” She said. “I told you all of this is wrong. If you keep making wishes like this we don’t know what could happen. We could break the Miraculous. We could break the universe.”

“I highly doubt the universe cares about one life here or there. And you’re going to do it for Adrien’s sake. Because he deserves a family. “

“He does.” Marinette agreed, “He deserves a better one than this one. And you can’t make me do it because all you have is the power to akumatise someone and Adrien and I have defeated plenty of akumas before.”

“Not one like this. Not a willing one. And not one _I’ve_ made. The Miraculous were my passion first. Gabriel thought he could express enough creativity, and amass enough money and power in mundane ways. Blind of him, but I recognised a kindred spirit anyway.”

“Please,” Nathalie interrupted them, “If there’s a chance it could work then do it. It doesn’t benefit you _not_ to.”

“Nathalie don’t,” Adrien said, “You don’t have to. I don’t blame you. I mean I blame you for going along with all this but I don’t blame you for his death. You did it to save me didn’t you?”

Nathalie nodded.

“Adrien honey,” his mother said, “It’s fine. She wants this. I can feel it. Nathalie wants to give you your father back, and your girlfriend can do that, all you have to do is ask her.”

“She’s not my girlfriend!”

“She’s not?” Mrs Agreste looked confused, “I know she called you her friend and partner earlier but I didn’t think you weren’t together. Those who wield Creation and Destruction have _always_ had a connection. And you’ve obviously both fallen for each other. I can feel it.”

Marinette couldn’t stop her mouth dropping open, and she’d _known_ Chat Noir loved Ladybug, he didn’t exactly hide it, and she’d known there was something between Marinette and Chat Noir, but Adrien hadn’t shown any interest as _Adrien,_ and they really needed to talk about this and they couldn’t because his mother was trying to get Marinette to resurrect his father by killing the woman who seemed to have almost raised him as much as his parents had.

She really wished this was a dream.

And if this was so bad for _her_ how could it be for Adrien?

When they won this somehow she was taking him far away so he never had to see his family again.

“Mom, is this _really_ the important thing right now?”

“I suppose not. We _will_ talk about it later though because it sounds like you need help. I can only _hope_ you’re not as bad with women as your father.”

That was a weird image. Sure Adrien’s father was married, and apparently his assistant was in love with him too, but she couldn’t imagine him stumbling around awkwardly as a teenager like Adrien did with Kagami or flirting outrageously like Chat Noir did with her.

“I’m fine. And I’m sure he was fine too. I mean he married you.”

“Thanks to me. _I_ knew what I wanted. But think about it Adrien, the four of us with our own Miraculous, think of the power we could wield as a family.”

“I couldn’t let you keep them.” Marinette had to tell her, “The Butterfly and the Peacock were wrongfully taken.”

“They were _abandoned._ And doesn’t your little team need some adult supervision?”

“We’d have it if your husband hadn’t forced the Guardian to disappear.”

“Oh the Guardian. What does a bright clever girl like you care what a stuffy old order of men think about how the Miraculous should be used?”

Marinette felt a chill go through her, “Why did you want the Miraculous again?”

Mrs Agreste smiled. “I told you. I was going to make the world better.”

“For you or for everyone?”

“I’d like to think the latter.”

“Who gave you the right to make that decision?”

Adrien’s mother’s face fells, “Who gave _you_ it? You know I really hoped we could work together. I always wanted a daughter. Gabriel did too.”

Marinette ignored her. “Please take off that brooch.”

Suddenly Mrs Agreste grabbed Nathalie. “How could I when it gives me this lovely blade?”

She slipped the sword out of her cane.

The other women didn’t struggle in her arms.

“Nathalie!” Adrien said, “Fight back,”

“There’s not much point is there?”

“There’s every point! You can’t let her do-whatever she’s going to do.”

“Kill her,” Mrs Agreste clarified.

“ _Why?_ ” Adrien cried.

“You heard her. She wants to die. Either Ladybug here can give her a death that brings Gabriel back, or I can kill her for nothing.”

“What?” The word escaped Marinette without her permission but seriously, _what._ She'd thought Adrien's father was bad but even Hawkmoth hadn't pulled something like this.

“It’s your choice. Either you can be responsible for two deaths or for one. She’s dying anyway, you might as well save someone with it.”

“No,” Adrien said, “No you won’t actually do this.”

“I am sorry Adrien. I wish you never had to see any of this. But here we are.” She moved the blade closer to Nathalie’s jugular, “It’s your choice Ladybug.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Adrien said, and Marinette wasn’t sure if he was speaking to her or his mother.

“It’s alright Adrien. “ Nathalie said, “Just look away and remember none of this is your fault, and I don’t mind.”

The blade nicked her collarbone through her shirt, and a drop of blood dripped out.

“Have you made a decision?”

“OK I’ll do it!”

“Marinette,” Adrien started.

“We don’t have a choice. Give me your ring.”

He did despite the tension on his face.

They’d been right. It did hurt when she combined them.

She made the wish anyway.

Mr Agreste stirred.

Nathalie stilled.

Emilie Agreste dropped her body and turned to her husband to help him out of the casket she’d put in him the same way he’d helped her out.

He looked at her transformation in confusion, “Emilie?”

“It’s me, don’t worry. I’ve fixed it all for you, and Adrien has my Miraculous. I’ll give you yours back soon.”

“What?”

Then he caught sight of Nathalie’s body. “Emilie what have you _done?_ ”

“You heard her. This is what she wanted.”

“What?”

Her hand went to cup his face, “Really, I’m impressed I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“Didn’t have what?”

She suddenly released him, “It wasn’t deliberate. You really are oblivious aren’t you? Oh, I should have known when she said you’ve fixed my Miraculous for her. This thing between you wasn’t just one-sided.”

“What are you talking about?”

“She loved you. That’s why she died for you.”

He frowned, “She died for Adrien.”

“No.” Adrien said, “Her wish killed _you_ for me. And then Mom forced Marinette to bring you back at the cost of her life, by threatening to kill her anyway.”

“She _what?_ ” He finally seemed to notice the cut on Nathalie’s body and didn’t seem able to look away from it.

“She wanted to die anyway. I could feel it through my Miraculous. And she _volunteered._ She wanted to. You must have known that. Wasn’t that what that whole performance before she brought back Adrien was about?”

“ _Performance?”_

“She’d said you knew,” Marinette said.

“Who? And knew what?” Adrien’s father asked.

“Nathalie. That she was going to be the price to bring back your wife?”

“That wasn’t the plan at all.”

“So if Adrien wasn’t the plan, and Nathalie wasn’t the plan then what exactly _was_ it Gabriel?” his wife asked.

He was silent.

She threw her hands in the air, “You didn’t have one did you. This is so you. No wonder you kept getting beaten by children.”

He pushed past her and sat down by Nathalie, straightening her out where his wife had let her fall, “You should have left it.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I have preferred you, Adrien and Nathalie to be alive to any of you dying for me.”

“And I wanted _my husband,_ not the women he’s apparently in a mutual self-sacrifice pact with.”

“I’m not going to justify that with a response. I can’t believe you’d insult her like that after everything she’s done for you.”

For two people who were willing to do apparently anything to get each other back Marinette couldn’t help but think that they didn’t seem to actually like each other when they were both around.

Mrs Agreste’s hand went to the brooch on her chest. “I am literally wearing a Miraculous with empathy powers. I _know_ what she felt. What _you’re_ feeling.”

“I wore that for much longer and I never noticed anything.”

“Are you being serious right now?” Her eyebrows were almost in her hairline at this point.

“I’m hardly going to joke about this am I?”

“How can you be this oblivious?” Then her features smoothed out, and she smiled, “I’m sorry. I suppose it doesn’t matter. Silly of me to be jealous of someone who isn’t even here, and who I owe so much to. You’re right. It’s unfair of me to judge her motives.”

In that moment Marinette was reminded of no one so much as Lila. Even her green eyes seemed more akin to the bane of Marinette’s life than to Adrien’s. Except this was a Lila who had a Miraculous and _that_ was an utterly horrifying thought.

“Come on Gabriel,” she held out her hand, “Let’s go sort things out. We’re going to have to explain all of this somehow.”

He looked at her hand but didn’t take it. “Emilie take off that Miraculous and give it to the girl.”

“Gabriel?” Her smile became more fixed.

“We agreed. We were bringing you back, and then we were _stopping._ Using the Miraculous was a mistake. We’re not _ourselves_ with them. Look at us, look at what we’ve done.”

“Are you saying you regret being, what did you even call yourself?”

“Hawkmoth.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“You never struck me as that insecure in your masculinity.”

“It was about sounding frightening, not about sounding masculine. And I,” his eyes were drawn back to Nathalie’s body, “don’t regret being Hawkmoth, even if I regret the consequences. But that’s why we have to give them our Miraculous because I think that if I have one then I’m never going to be able to stop, and I want to stop.”

“You could have done that earlier,” Adrien muttered under his breath, and part of her wondered why he didn’t say it louder, and worried about if he was afraid of his father, and if he _should_ be. It certainly seemed like they ought to be of his _mother._

“We can’t stop, not now. I was _so_ close to pushing the boundaries on what I could create.”

“For me. Please.”

“You can’t ask me to be someone other than what I am. I thought you _didn’t_ want to kill me.”

“How can you compare that?”

Adrien passed Marinette the Peacock Miraculous, and whispered “Swap?”

“What?”

“Give me yours.”

“Adrien, no.”

“I’m the only one here who hasn’t made a wish.”

“She’s your _mother_.”

“I know.” He held out his hand silently.

His parents were still two caught up with each other to notice, as she shut her eyes and let him take them out of her ears.

“Kid,” Plagg murmured.

“I know.” Said Adrien.

“I’m not sure,” Tikki said, as she appeared.

“I am.” Adrien said. “Tikki, Plagg. Combine.”

The flash of light around him finally caught his parent’s attention.

How his shape distorted and looked both somehow solid and not seemed much more terrifying when it was _Adrien_ than it had been anyone else here.

“Adrien!” His mother yelled, but it was too late.

“I wish,” his words were hard to make out, “back,” she caught then “was”.

Nathalie stirred.

Emilie swooned, and her transformation dropped.

Adrien yanked out the earrings and almost collapsed. 

Ignoring the adults Marinette ran to her partner, “Adrien!”

“I’m ok,” He winced slightly, “Sorry about throwing them on the floor.”

“That’s ok,” She picked them up and put them in the her ears, “It’s wasn’t easy for me, and I wasn’t,”

“Killing your own mother?”

“Hey,” Marinette said, “Stop that. You did what you had to do.”

“I bet that’s what _they’d_ say,” He said gesturing over at his parents and Nathalie.

He looked so forlorn, and Marinette couldn’t help it. She kissed him.

“I’m sorry,” She blurted out, “That was so inappropriate, and really not the time, but I wanted you to know that you’re an amazing wonderful brave person, and probably I should have just told you that,”

“Shush,” Adrien said, putting a finger to her lips to silence her, “You’re probably right, and we probably needed to have a conversation later which I’m really not ready for right now but thank you. Knowing someone like you still cares for me. It means _a lot._ ”

“I do. Because you deserve it.”

“What happened?” Nathalie’s voice came from across the room, and they turned to watch.

She suddenly seemed to realise who was holding her, and gripped Mr Agreste’s jacket tightly, “You’re alive,”

“ _You’re_ alive.” He said to her.

“But,” she looked around, and on locating Adrien smiled, “Adrien’s alive, but then?”

“Emilie isn’t.”

She blinked. “Oh.”

“You’re still bleeding,” Mr Agreste said.

She touched to her collarbone with her hand, “I am.”

“We should go sort that out. And you’ve _got_ to stop trying to die.”

“Yes, alright I will,” She agreed but it looked more like she was placating him than that she meant it. “But, _how_ am I alive? Did you do it Ladybug?”

“Adrien did.” Marinette admitted to her, and she _wished_ she’d thought of making a different wish and sending Emilie Agreste back into that casket herself.

“ _Adrien did?”_

“Are you cross with me?” Adrien asked.

“Why would I be cross?”

“You did a lot to bring Mom back, and then I put her back to how she was.”

“I wasn’t bringing her back for _me._ ”

“Father?” Adrien said.

Adrien’s father hesitated then he said, “No. I can’t be. You made a choice I think I should have long ago. The alternatives those Miraculous gave us were unacceptable.”

He let go of Nathalie and picked up the Butterfly Miraculous, and walked over to Marinette, “Here, I believe this is yours.”

What they’re just gone through couldn’t be called _easy_ in any way shape or form but she’d never expected Hawkmoth to just _hand_ her his Miraculous. She took it and put it in her bag, and it still didn’t seem real.

He turned to his son, “Adrien I,”

“I still love her,” Adrien said.

“I know.” His father said, and finally seeming to show some concern for Adrien he wrapped an arm around him, “I do too.”

Both of them were crying now.

Nathalie and Marinette watched the two of them.

“I can’t just forgive you on all of Paris’ behalf you know,” Marinette said.

“That’s probably fair. But, I know you have no reason to want to conceal our identities for _us_ but if there’s a way Adrien’s name can be kept out of it,”

“Yeah, I’ll think about it. He’s suffered enough.”

Mr Agreste looked over at the two of them, and however Nathalie interpreted his look, she went over and joined them, and then Marinette noted that even as put an arm around Adrien’s back, and let his father rest his head against hers _she_ didn’t cry.

Marinette watched for a moment more. She had no idea what she was supposed to do with two former villains who’d terrorised Paris for months, only to end up right out where they’d started but only after completely traumatising the son of one of them by making him have to decide whether his own, admittedly terrifying, mother lived.

But right now _Adrien_ was her priority so she went over to him anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> This might be the worst I have ever been to Adrien. I'm sorry.


End file.
